Hotei Relaxing in a Field, mid to late 20th Century Maker Unknown; China Painting on porcelain tile 96.52.34 Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Herb Hansen Lots of Loves Love is a fairly complex force that can (often insufficiently) be defined as an intense feeling of affection towards family; friends; a significant other; a childhood pet gerbil named Scruffy, r...

Steelyard Scales, 19th to 20th Century Laos Wood, metal, fiber and tortoiseshell 2019.23.71-.80 Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih Scales of Justice When most think of scales, they likely summon an image of Lady Justice, perhaps guarding the entrance of a courthouse, with golden scales for balancing the deeds of the good, the evil and the neutrally a...

Baby Carrier with Pleated Ties, 20th Century Miao culture; Gulong Town, Guizhou Province, China, Asia Cotton and silk; 23 x 30 in. 2008.9.71 Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih Miao Mom Weightlifting Club We should be thankful to the wonderful moms in our lives every day, but Mother’s Day is the one day a year we have chosen to distill that love into ...

Guo Pei's Garden of Soul collection backed by Shashi Dhoj Tulachan's paintings. Fashion 101 Recent visitors to the Bowers Museum will have noticed a few new faces—placid as they may be—in the Freedman Galleria, the long hallway travelling between our main desk and the Bowers Museum’s changing gallery spaces. Of course, these seven new, poised ...

Mirror with Animal, Leaf, and Fruit Designs, Tang Dynasty (618-907) Han culture; China Bronze and silver; 1/2 x 6 1/8 in. 2005.28.1 In Memory of Armand J. Labbe The World in Bronze Mirrors today are multi-layered compositions of metal and glass, but historically the only requirement was a reflective surface. In China, a country whose complex manufa...

Guanyin Seated on a Lotus Flower, late Ming Dynasty (1600-1643) Han culture; China Wood and pigments; 49 x 16 x 11 in. 2005.37.1 Gift of Anne and Long Shung Shih Mercy Me Whether or not you recognize the name, if you have been to the Bowers you have seen at least one representation of Guanyin, the adopted Chinese bodhisattva and goddess of mercy. W...

Empress Dowager Cixi's 1901 Duryea Surrey Duryea Motor Wagon Co.; Reading, PA January 1902 advertisement for the Duryea Surrey. Climb In Empress Dowager Cixi is arguably the most influential figure in late dynastic China. Coming from humble beginnings as a low-ranking concubine for the Emperor, she managed to leverage a legitimate heir to the thron...

Children’s Festival Hats, 19th to 20th Century China Cotton, silk, foil appliqué, wire and metal 2001.1.13, .50, .16 Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Long Shung and Anne Shih Children of Many Hats Rural China during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912) saw many of the same problems that developing nations still see today. Unfortunately, poor hygiene standards meant th...

Corbels with Phoenix and Crane, 19 th Century Qing Dynasty; China Wood and pigments; 27 x 14 x 5 in. 2001.58.13a,b Gift of Kevin Branch Diagram dougong  holding up a multi-inclined roof, from the architectural treatise Yingzao Fashi, 1103. To one degree or another, all objects run the gamut between form and function. In architectural terms thi...